Kickstarter Game of the Week: Tiny Epic Defenders 2nd Edition

Tiny Epic Defenders is a fast paced, co-operative adventure that can be played in just 30 minutes. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you might not know about Gamelyn’s Tiny Epic series. These started as “Euro microgames” – a new concept that meant all the fun and fiddliness of a Eurogame, but contained in a very streamlined product: minimal components, efficient gameplay, and super adorable meeples. Actually, one of the newer hallmarks of the Tiny Epic games is the customizable ITEMeeples – meeples that you can pop different bits onto to represent the gear they’ve accumulated over the course of the game. It’s a simple concept, but it’s something that a lot of game designers wouldn’t bother with because of the enormous amount of work to design custom product pieces. Tiny Epic Defenders 2nd Edition comes with these new ITEMeeples – an improvement over the first edition. But that’s not all it adds!

2nd Edition also improves on the already amazing artwork of the first iteration of the game. I have to say, I didn’t think the artwork needed re-doing because I loved the illustrations and design of the first edition, but I must say – the new artwork looks phenomenal! Take a gander for yourself:

In addition to the new artwork, the 2nd Edition of Tiny Epic Defenders also adds a TON of new gameplay content – artifact cards, new players, new epic foes and dire enemies… PLUS backing the Kickstarter means you’ll get even more, deluxe, Kickstarter backer-only, content! I personally have mixed feelings about Kickstarter games that offer exclusive Kickstarter content, but that’s more from a publisher’s perspective – I don’t quite like the thought of having to explain to people who missed a Kickstarter campaign that they don’t have access to certain content… but for any other game publishers who want to offer exclusives… more power to you! As a backer, I do actually love feeling like I’m getting a bit extra for my pledge, so I’m happy to see all the fun deluxe content that comes with backing Tiny Epic Defenders 2nd Ed.

I haven’t even talked about the other part of the Kickstarter – the Dark War expansion! For $21 more on your pledge, you’ll be able to get the Dark War expansion… which ALSO comes with deluxe Kickstarter-exclusive content! Yeesh, how could I not add it on? The Dark War comes with oodles of additional content – regions, artifacts, players, foes, and dire enemies. And, the most exciting addition… campaign mode! From the Kickstarter campaign page, here’s what campaign mode adds to the fun:

Caravans represent the shattered homes of villagers during this dark time and are spread across all the Regions. Players are faced with the additional challenge of rescuing these Caravans and escorting them safely to the Capital City before they are can defeat the Epic Foe.

Skills are useful abilities players can assign to their Heroes and require Experience Points to activate. Experience Points are now earned during play by making meaningful decisions that help the party reach their goals.

The Campaign Mode plays like an evolving gauntlet challenge, where players must play through the game multiple times, facing Generals at the intervals instead of the regular Epic Foe. The different abilities players will have at their disposal, as well as the threats they face, are unique to each Campaign and evolve with the choices players make during each Campaign. If players can survive long enough, they will face an Epic Foe at the conclusion of the Campaign.”

I’m so stoked for this version of Tiny Epic Defenders, as I don’t own the 1st edition. Soooo much stuff packed into such a small package. Pardon me while I squee. If you’re a fan of the Tiny Epic games, or if you want to check them out for the first time, head over to the Kickstarter page – as of writing this, the campaign has 10 days to go and is unlocking stretch goals left and right.